dell

Should Microsoft have called it ARM tablet OS something other than Windows RT?

That was Dell's argument, according to comments made by a top executive at the PC vendor.

At the Dell World conference last week, Dell's vice chairman and president of its PC business, Jeffrey Clarke, told analysts what he thought of the name Windows RT, as reported by the Australian Financial Review.

Clark said he warned Ballmer not to use the Windows brand name in the new tablet OS since it would confuse consumers into thinking it supports traditional Windows applications. Designed to run on ARM-based … Read more

Dell has bopped on the head any rumors that it may return to the smartphone market in the near future, but remained optimistic on the future of the PC, despite a global manufacturer slowdown.

Dell president of global operations Jeff Clarke told attendees at the Dell World conference in Austin, Texas, that the company still has "long term prospects" for the PC business, and remains "optimistic."

"I look at the middle class as it grows over the next 20 years from 1.8 billion people to 4.9 billion people and the opportunity for PCs … Read more

Demand for Windows 8 touch-screen PCs is strong, according to two analysts who spoke with CNET.

"Touch machines are actually selling above expectations," said Bob O'Donnell, a program vice president at IDC.

And that means supply shortages. "Some vendors are actually facing shortages because touch panels are in limited supply. Vendors are saying they can't get as many touch-based machines as they would like to meet the demand that they're seeing."

Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, echoed O'Donnell's comments. "We've talked to a number of PC makers … Read more

Qualcomm today announced that it has expanded an agreement between a subsidiary and Sharp and taken an equity stake in the ailing electronics maker.

Sharp and Qualcomm subsidiary Pixtronix already have a display technology agreement between them, according to Qualcomm. This new deal extends that partnership. The agreement centers on displays using Sharp's IGZO technology, which is widely considered one of the best options for visual quality in the industry.

As part of the agreement, Qualcomm has dropped some cash in Sharp, earning it a minority stake in the company.

Sharp saw its sales drop 16 percent year-over-year to … Read more

Dell began selling its sleekest ultrabook today with a version of Ubuntu Linux.

The XPS 13 ultrabook comes with Ubuntu 12.04 preloaded and is the fruits of a project at Dell to create an Ubuntu-based developer laptop.

"Our first project officially launches today for customers in the United States...We loaded a super sleek Dell machine with Ubuntu to give developers the essentials they want," Dell said in a statement.

And, at $1,549, it is loaded indeed with lots of fast silicon including an Intel Core i7-3517U Ivy Bridge processor, 8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz, and a 256GB solid state drive. It also sports a 1,366x768 13.3-inch display. … Read more

Ailing electronics maker Sharp might soon receive a cash infusion from a few prominent technology companies.

Dell, Intel, and Qualcomm are all in talks with Sharp to invest some cash in the company, The Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing sources who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. Sharp has reportedly asked both Dell and Intel for a $240 million infusion in return for equity or debt. Qualcomm's investment would likely be smaller.

This isn't the first time we've heard reports of Intel and Qualcomm considering an investment in Sharp. Reuters reported earlier this month … Read more

I confess to not watching CNBC too often.

When the channel isn't presenting dour faces promising imminent immolation, it's showing over-excitable bald people telling you which stocks to buy. Well, screaming, actually. There is enough screaming in my life already.

However, this morning, there might be screaming of a different sort at CNBC, because the sleuths at Business Insider have revealed what they say is brand subterfuge. Or, if you like, insider faking.

Indeed, Business Insider insists that the shiny laptops placed before presenters -- which, for all the world, look like Macs -- are mere dolled-up Dells.… Read more

Hewlett-Packard is offering decent Black Friday deals on some of its premier Windows 8 laptops. And the company has announced shipment dates for a couple of its newest touch-screen entries.

HP's Spectre and Spectre XT models are its top-of-the-line lappies. While just-announced Spectres got tiny discounts, a couple of not-so-recent entries are selling for $100 off today. … Read more

Dell is stuck in a vice with its PC business.

On one side, Dell has decided to focus on margins and stay away from the commodity PC game played by Asia's juggernauts. That business decision is entirely logical. The problem is that Dell's market share is eroding quickly and the company needs the PC business to work so it can transition its business to software and cloud infrastructure.

If Dell's PC business wasn't collapsing its plan would work well. However, the PC business isn't cooperating.

Among the problems: